According to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, pending unrestricted free agent Gabriel Landeskog is looking for a long-term deal with the Colorado Avalanche. That said, talks between the team and the player’s side have yet to pick up. While it is expected negotiations will pick up soon, there has to a be a little concern that the 28-year-old winger, who has publicly stated he’d like to stick around, might have to move on to get the deal he wants.
While both sides want Landeskog to stay in Denver, the salary cap is posing a slight problem. The Avalanche need to maintain enough flexibility to re-sign Nathan MacKinnon, potentially offer Brandon Saad a new deal, plus work out a deal with stud defenseman Cale Makar. In terms of priorities, Landeskog likely ranks above Saad, but below MacKinnon and Makar. The reality is, if Landeskog is looking to sign the most lucrative contract he can this summer, that offer is probably not coming from the Avalanche.
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Colorado’s captain offers that a lot more than just the 52 points he put up this past season. His leadership, his versatility and more make him an important piece of the Avs puzzle. Still, even if he were to simply stay with the team at his current rate — he is coming off a seven-year, $39 million contract — there might not be room considering the raises other players on this roster are pegged to get.
As Baugh points out, the Avs have to hope Landeskog is willing to do what a player like Oilers’ forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins did. He was the first major pending unrestricted free agent forward to reach an agreement this offseason and he did so at a deal far less than many assumed he would. He got a long-term contract at eight years, but the $41 million deal ($5.125 average annual value) brought his cap hit down compared to his previous deal.
Is this the kind of contract the Avs would like to see Landeskog sign? Nugent-Hopkins deal might be unique — in much the same way Rob Brind’Amour’s coaching deal isn’t going to set the tone of other coaching salaries — but it could provide a comparable for the Avalanche. The Oilers admitted the term was longer than they would have liked, but the cap hit worked for them: give a little, take a little.
Making a Compromise to Keep Landeskog in the Fold
If Landeskog shakes loose, other teams are going to be extremely excited. He won’t last long on the open free agency market, even if he’s asking for a hefty sum. Both sides will try to make sure that doesn’t happen.
What does his new deal look like? Ironically, Nugent-Hopkins has a bit more in common with Landeskog than the potential structure of a new deal. Their statistics aren’t that far from one another. The Avs captain has 512 points in 687 games while Nugent-Hopkins has 478 in 656. Part of that was due to a dip in production from Nugent-Hopkins this season, while Landeskog’s 2020-21 campaign remained strong. Both players are the same age.
Are the Avs looking at around $5-$5.25 million over 8 years? The team could probably live with that.
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